On This Day

1976-1999 > Post Vietnam

February 11, 1997

RADM C.A. Ritchie, AM, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander, Australia.

January 9, 1997

HMAS ADELAIDE’s Sea King helicopter was launched to conduct the rescue of round-the-world yachtsman Theirry Dubois. Dubois was winched onboard the helicopter later that morning and was described as “being in remarkably good condition for a man who had spent four days floating in a life raft in the freezing Southern Ocean. ADELAIDE then turned towards the upturned EXIDE CHALLENGER to rescue yachtsman Tony Bullimore. The frigate deployed her rigid hull inflatable boat, (RHIB), which came alongside the yacht. Bullimore, who had been living inside the upturned hull swam out and was rescued by the crew of the RHIB. Queen Elizabeth II later sent the following message of congratulations:- “I would be grateful if you would pass on both my congratuations to all members of the Australian Defence Force who have made possible the two dramatic rescues in the Southern Ocean over these recent days and , through HMAS ADELAIDE my warm good wishes to Tony Bullimore on his extraordinary feat of survival”.

January 7, 1997

The tanker, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR Ladomirski, RAN), sailed from HMAS STIRLING to support HMAS ADELAIDE in her rescue of two round-the-world solo yachtsmen, (Frenchman Thierry Dubois, and Briton Tony Bullimore). ADELAIDE had sailed south the day before, but would need to refuel once the rescue was complete in order to return safely to Western Australia.

January 6, 1997

PC3 Orion aircraft from 92 Wing, (RAAF Edinburgh), located the capsized yachts, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, and EXIDE CHALLENGER, in the Great Southern Ocean, and dropped life rafts. The guided missile frigate, HMAS ADELAIDE, (CAPT R. W. Gates, RAN), was crash-sailed from HMAS STIRLING to rescue the yachtsmen.

January 5, 1997

Two yachts in the Vendee Globe solo, non-stop circumnavigation race capsized in extreme rough weather in the Great Southern Ocean. The yachts, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, (Thierry Dubois), and EXIDE CHALLENGER, (Tony Bullimore), both activated their EPIRB systems, and thus set in train one of the greatest rescues at sea ever undertaken by the RAN.

September 13, 1996

HMAS SWAN, (destroyer escort), was decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING, WA, after a career spanning 26 years. She was later gifted to the West Australian State Government, and sunk as a dive wreck in Geographe Bay

July 27, 1996

The Collins class submarine HMAS COLLINS, (CMDR P. R. Sinclair, RAN), was commissioned. COLLINS was laid down in The Australian Submarine Corporation Yard, Adelaide, SA, and launched on 28 August 1993. Lady Phyllis Collins, (Wife of VADM Sir John Collins, KBE, CB, RAN, (deceased)), performed the launching ceremony.

May 18, 1996

The ANZAC class guided missile frigate, HMAS ANZAC was commissioned. ANZAC was laid down at Tenix Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, and launched on 16 September 1994. Lieutenant Colonel V. Statham, AO, MBE, ARRC, ED, FNM, performed the launching ceremony.

January 31, 1996

The use of Morse key for sending messages formally ceased in the RAN after 85 years, to be replaced with modern communication systems. Visual Morse (or flashing light), however, still remains in use

January 9, 1996

HMAS CANBERRA, (guided missile frigate), left Sydney to be permanently base-ported at HMAS STIRLING, WA.

December 21, 1995

The badly damaged hulk of HMAS DERWENT was finally scuttled, by charges set by CDT 4, in deep water to the west of Rottnest Island, WA.

During the previous 10 weeks, the old ship had been subjected to a series of tests by DSTO staff, to observe the affect of bomb and shell damage on a warship. Due to the damage to the vessel she was sunk in very deep water to prevent divers attempting to dive on the wreck.

December 1, 1995

HMAS OVENS, (Oberon class submarine), decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING, WA.

October 24, 1995

The last of twenty Pacific patrol boats built in Australia for presentation to developing nations in the Pacific will have raised their new national flags. The PPB’s were built for Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomons, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati and Tuvalu.

April 13, 1995

RADM C. J. Oxenbould, AO, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander, Australia.

April 10, 1995

MSA KORAAGA, (auxiliary minesweeper), discovered the wreck of the hospital ship CENTAUR, 9.3 nautical miles due east of Cape Moreton, QLD.

November 25, 1994

The landing platform amphibious HMAS MANOORA, was commissioned. MANOORA was the former USS FAIRFAX COUNTY, (THSS), which had been commissioned into the USN in 1971.

November 18, 1994

HMAS Kanimbla II arrived in Sydney for the first time after commissioning in the United States.

November 14, 1994

The Fringe Benefits Tax Act Amendment raised the RAN’s liability from $11 million to $21 million per annum.

October 12, 1994

Bitter controversy between the Prime Minister, Paul Keating, and the former Prime Minister, Robert Hawke, was sparked on the responsibility of involving RAN ships in the Gulf War.

October 3, 1994

HMAS SYDNEY, (guided missile frigate), recovered wreckage from a small airliner which crashed into the Tasman Sea, while on passage from Sydney to Lord Howe Island. Nine passengers and crew lost their lives in the crash.

September 16, 1994

HMAS ANZAC, lead ship in the RAN’s 2035 ton light frigate class, was launched by Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Staham, (nee Bullwinkle), one of the survivors of a group of Australian nurses seized by the Japanese in 1942. The ship was launched at Transfield Shipbuilding Yard in Port Phillip, VIC

September 1, 1994

The Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Ray, announced the names of the six coastal mine hunters to be built for the RAN, They were HUON, HAWKESBURY, NORMAN, GASCOYNE, DIAMANTINA, and YARRA

August 29, 1994

The landing platform amphibious HMAS KANIMBLA, was commissioned. KANIMBLA was previously the USS SAGINAW (THSS), which had been commissioned into the USN in 1971.

August 12, 1994

Australian Defence Industries won the $l billion contract to build six minehunters for the RAN. The ships will be built at Newcastle, NSW.

August 8, 1994

The hull ex-HMAS ADROIT was sunk as a target off the WA coast by A4 Skyhawks of the RNZAF.

HMAS DERWENT was decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING after a 30-year career which saw her steam in excess of 800,000 miles. Her hull was later used as a guinea pig for blast and fragmentation tests, organized by scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, (DSTO), led by CMDR J. Mathias, RAN. The team observed the effect of damage caused by bombs and shells on the old ship in order to make improvements for ship survivability. DERWENT had the distinction to be the first RAN vessel to fire a guided missile on 25 May 1964, less than a month after commissioning.